In January Becca came to hang with me on her way to Ghana. So much fun. We took a sweet little day trip to Segovia, spent a lot of time on the balcony, ate really well, and drank our weight in wine. She is my heterosexual life mate.

Before Segovia pictures, here are a few from Bec and my trip on Madrid’s Teleferic0, which is a ski lift type of thing that runs over a forest in the far northwest of the city.

solo sax practicin'

Now, Segovia. There’s a famous Roman aqueduct there that was built without any mortar, just incredible precision.

Segovia's cathedral, taken from the top of the castle.

City’s built on a hilltop, so from the top of the tower in the castle, it felt so high. Makes me miss ballooning.

Decided last minute to join some friends I’ve made in Madrid on a trip for 6 days to the Canary Islands. The islands are pretty far South and even in the end of January (when it was still occasionally snowing in Madrid) we were tanning on the dunes next to the ocean.

Canary Islands, Spain

Couldn’t really pass the offer up, by the end was very glad I didn’t! The moon was full, yellow, and looked enormous over the airport lights during our early morning takeoff:

6:00AM en Barajas, Madrid

Partied pretty damn hard. We rented two apartments for the week three blocks from the beach.

first time in the Atlantic since I was flip floppin' it in Coney with xtina

Spanish whiskey! finally!

Yep.

Flew back home in most turbulence I’ve ever experienced. Really great trip, got kicked out of bars, rolled down dunes, read two books, and came back a little more tan, a lot more relaxed. Success.

viva: alive

I am native to the Mojave Desert of Southern California and have called San Francisco my home for some time now. In August of 2009 I packed up my life to live, study, and work in Madrid, Spain. All of the photos here are mine.